9 Perfect Summer Mountain Towns

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The residents of Vail, Colorado, have a saying about visitors to their picture-perfect Rockies retreat: “They come for the winters and stay for the summers.” Winter skiing is never dull, but sometimes you may feel as if you’re part of one big powder-obsessed mind. Summer brings a wild extravagance to the mountains—once-bare slopes bloom with wildflowers, surging rivers woo rafts and kayaks, and alfresco art fairs and music festivals abound.

It turns out there’s a lot to love about many ski resorts after the snow melts. In Jackson Hole, one might enact a fly-fishing fantasy à la Norman Maclean along the banks of Wyoming’s Snake River, or in Gstaad, Switzerland, watch vintage Jags and Maseratis zip along alpine roads during the biannual Gstaad Classic Audemars Piguet. Locavores visiting Whistler, Canada, will work up an appetite on Slow Food Cycle Sunday, pedaling down country roads to sample the area’s best farm-to-table fare. And in Vermont, golfers can take a swing at Stowe Mountain Golf Club’s award-winning private course.

Warm weather also heralds the peak of festival season: Telluride will rock out to acts like Norah Jones during its annual Bluegrass Festival in June, while the Aspen Ideas Festival brings leaders across disciplines (these have included Frank Gehry, Arianna Huffington, and Twitter cofounders Evan Williams and Biz Stone) to the luxe mountain enclave later that month.

Courtesy of The Little Nell

Aspen, Colorado

Where to Stay:The Little Nell, Aspen’s top property for more than 20 years, re-opens for its summer season on June 1. Rooms start at $550; 675 E. Durant Ave.; 888-843-6355.

When to Go: During the Aspen Music Festival (June 29–August 20). This year, the festival will explore the theme of “enchantment” through a curated mix of concerts that reference myths, fairy tales, magic spells, and more.

Other Activities: Practice your aim with Olympic skeet shootingcoach Bob Perigo (970-948-7943), or take an angling tourto one of the area’s three Gold Medal trout rivers with Glenn Melus(970-309-2237) and have Montagna’s chef cook up your catch that evening.

Banff, Alberta

When to Go: Late July, when wildflower season begins and the lake warms.

Top Tables:Lake Louise Railway Station & Restaurant, where you can dine in a refurbished Canadian Pacific Railway dining car (200 Sentinel Rd.; 403-522-2600). In downtown Banff, 50 minutes from Lake Louise, at Maple Leaf(137 Banff Ave.; 403-760-7680), you can indulge in a two- or three-tier tower of fresh seafood: mussels, scallops, squid, oysters, prawns, salmon. The Bison, also in the heart of Banff, offers regional dishes like Springbank bison strip and B.C. steelhead trout (211 Bear St.; 403-762-5550).

Other Activities: Explore local wildlife habitats, kayak on Lake Louise or hike to neighboring Lake Agnes;the track includes a charming teahouse cabin where hikers can relax and take in the grand vista while enjoying snacks.

Getting There: Banff is about 90 miles west from Calgary International Airport, which is serviced by many major airlines.

Patrick Pachod

Courchevel, France

Where to Stay: In the French Alps,Le Chabichou, home to the eponymous Michelin two-star gastronomic gem, features a spa, a children’s game room and impeccable service. Rooms start at $260; Rue des Chenus; 33-04/79-08-00-55.

When to Go: August 11–12. A bizarrely timed spectacle, theSki Jumping World Cup unfolds in the nearby village of Le Praz, with more than 10,000 fans in attendance every year.

Top Tables:Le Chabichou’s Michelin-starred restaurant is one of the region’s best (Rue des Chenus; 33-04/79-08-00-55).Le Tremplin serves everything from crêpes to raclette to sushi (dinner, from $70; Courchevel 1850; 33-4/79-08-06-19).

Other Activities:Glacier-hiking;picnicking in La Vanoise, France’s first national park; tandem paragliding above the pistes.

Getting There: Courchevel is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Geneva International Airport, which is serviced by most major air carriers.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

When to Go: July 3–August 20 for the Grand Teton Music Festival, which hosts the biggest names in classical music (this year includes Yo-Yo Ma) as well as rising stars.

Top Tables: Local steaks at the Four Seasons’Westbank Grill(7680 Granite Loop Rd., Teton Village; 307-732-5000). In town, try Trio(45 S. Glenwood Dr.; 307-734-8038) for its grilled elk salad and pizza with house-made duck confit, as well as Snake River Grill—the Eskimo pie bar here is a must (On the town square; 307-733-0557).

Park City, Utah

Where to Stay:Montage Deer Valley, a brand-new luxury lodge from the Southern California–based hotel group that opened in December 2010. Rooms start at $300; 9100 Marsac Ave.; 435-604-1300.

When to Go: July 1–August 5 for the Deer Valley Music Festival; this year, performers include the Beach Boys (with the Utah Symphony) and Diana Krall.

Top Tables:Wahso is a sprawling space meant to evoke 1930s Shanghai (dinner, $70; 577 Main St.; 435-615-0300), and the High West Distillery & Saloon is a parlor-style hub for casual dining and drinks (dinner, from $40; 703 Park Ave.; 435-649-8300).

Other Activities: The Ruby Express high-speed lift,just steps from the Montage, will whisk visitors to the summit for easy access to hiking and mountain-biking trails.

Getting There: Park City is roughly an hour by car from Salt Lake City International Airport, which is served by most major airlines.

Courtesy Stowe Mountain Lodge

Stowe, Vermont

Where to Stay:Stowe Mountain Lodge, which was inspired by the Great Camps in the Adirondacks at the turn of the century. Rooms start at $220; 7412 Mountain Rd.; 888-478-6938.

When to Go: Mid-August, when local farm stands overflow with corn and berries.

Top Table:Hen of the Wood, for classic fine dining in a historic mill (92 Stowe St.; Waterbury; 802-244-7300).

Other Activities: Driving the scenic back roads to Mount Mansfield, and “Water and Wine” canoe trips to Boyden Valley Winery(802-644-8336;boydenvalley.com). Guests at Stowe Mountain Lodge can golf at its award-winning golf club (greens fees, from $185).

Getting There: JetBlue, United, Delta and American Airlines all fly to Burlington International Airport, a 50-minute drive from Stowe. From Boston, it’s about a three-hour drive, and from New York, almost six hours.

Rough Guides / Axiom / Getty Images

Telluride, Colorado

Where to Stay:Madeline Hotel, a luxe hideaway with a recently renovated spa. Rooms start at $250; 568 Mountain Village Blvd.; 970-369-0880.

When to Go: June 15–18, for the 44th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, or September 1–4 for the Telluride Film Festival.

Top Tables: Take the resort’s free gondola to Allred’s, perched 10,551 feet above sea level, for steak and seafood with a view (Station St. Sophia via the gondola; 970-728-7474),or head into town to 221 South Oak for New American specials like buttermilk-fried quail and maple-glazed pork tenderloin (221 S. Oak St.; 970-728-9507).

Other Activities: White-water raftingdown the Gunnison River and horseback ridingin the San Juan Mountains, then recouping at Hotel Madeline’s Spa Linnea with a Base Camp Recovery Ritual healing treatment (100 minutes, $250).